DILLES BOTTOM — An air pollution permit issued for the proposed PTT Global Chemical America ethane cracker in Belmont County expired Thursday, but the company is applying for a modified permit that would be in keeping with a goal of reducing emissions.

Groups opposed to the development, though, say the application for a new permit should be denied.

“PTTGC America is in the process of drafting an application for an air permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with its parent company’s Net Zero commitment,” the company states in a new release issued last week.

The Ohio EPA issued the initial air permit-to-install for PTTGCA’s planned petrochemical complex in December 2018.

The modified permit application “will be consistent with the ambitious environmental protection goal announced last year by GC, PTTGCA’s Thai-based parent company,” the company continues.

“GC announced in October it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030 and achieve a net-zero emissions goal by 2050 in order to fight climate change.”

A cracker plant is an industrial facility that uses heat and chemical processes to “crack” or break down ethane molecules to produce ethylene, a component of plastics and other products such as textiles, paint, household cleaners and more. If the PTTGCA plant is constructed, it will use locally produced natural gas to fuel its six furnaces. Ethane is one of the abundant “wet gas” components of the local natural gas stream drawn from the Utica and Marcellus shales.

This is the second time this particular permit has become an issue for PTTGCA. In June, the OEPA extended the permit that initially was set to expire June 22.

Regarding the expiration of the permit on Thursday, the Concerned Ohio River Residents sent a letter to Belmont County commissioners and Port Authority Director Larry Merry, suggesting it is time for the county to pursue other avenues of economic development.

“Something to ponder as we move into this new year. The cracker plant’s air permit dies this week and here is some financial information you likely haven’t seen,” Beverly Reed, a community organizer with CORR, wrote in reference to a report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. “It is important as leaders to look at all the facts, and not just what one side is telling you. … The reason why we do what we do is because we love this Valley. We want long term, sustainable futures for people.

“These people have strung you and us along for long enough,” Reed continued. “It is time to start looking in a new direction. There are alternative options out there for the Ohio Valley.”

The report Reed referenced was written by Tom Sanzillo, director of financial analysis for IEEFA, and is titled “Ohio regulators have opportunity to do PTTGC a favor by nixing permit.” It cites a Standard & Poor’s opinion issued for a proposed Formosa Plastics plant in Louisiana that Sanzillo says indicates that canceling that project would benefit Formosa’s credit rating.

Sanzillo points to rising construction costs, unstable trade arrangements, and difficulty finding workers as factors that he believes makes the PTTGCA project less feasible.

“IEEFA would add that the rising construction costs are taking place just as plastics prices are coming down and are likely to continue to moderate over the next few years, tightening profit margins,” he adds. ” … Ohio regulators and leaders hoping to build the economy would do well to shift their focus to other sectors of the economy with a more robust and positive outlook. They should not renew the permit.”

But officials with PTTGCA say they remain committed to the project and continue to seek a financial partner.

“PTTGCA has invested more than $300 million in the Ohio project, and has prioritized identifying potential partners in order to move the project forward,” the company states. “The support and patience of the Ohio River Valley has been crucial to the progress PTTGCA has made toward making the proposed petrochemical complex a reality.”